It's perhaps not surprising that Sarah Lee Guthrie, daughter of Arlo Guthrie and granddaughter of Woody, should be classed with the alt-country crowd, since there's a definite rural flavor to her work. But if this album had come out in the 1970s, she'd just be a singer/songwriter, another Joni Mitchell or Judy Collins -- no boundaries, no pigeonholes. And that would be far more apt. Her music doesn't neatly fit into any musical box (and also, its slightly hippie flavor wouldn't sound out of place in the 1970s). She uses horns in her songs, but they provide texture, not volume and brassiness. There's a winning naïveté about her lyrics, as if she's an adolescent who hasn't finished growing yet, an incurable romantic -- but that's not necessarily a bad thing in these days when cynicism and rampant sexuality appears to be the norm. And she's definitely inherited the family songwriting gene, even if she does like a lot of minor keys. But songs like "Never in One Place" have an innate warmth that's more than just charming, and the instrumental "Tarantula," with its perky Celtic influence, makes a nice little break between songs. The romantic "Johnny by My Side" (written for romantic and musical partner Johnny Irion) is sweet without diving into saccharine, although the up-tempo "World Turns in G" could easily have been left off without anyone noticing. And closing with the a cappella "You Gotta Sing," with its strong gospel flavor, just continues the '70s vibe that inhabits this whole disc. A throwback, perhaps, but a very welcome one. ~ Chris Nickson